Agricultural boiler



(No Model.)

G. HEPFT.

AGRICULTURAL BOILER.

' Patented Apr. "27, 1886.

N PETERS. Pholn-Lilhographer, wmhin mn. D, c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHRISTOPHER HEFFT, OF PEKIN, ILLINOIS.

AGRICULTURAL BOILER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 340,576, dated April 27, 1886.

Application filed April 1, 1885. Serial No. 160,908.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHRISTOPHER Hnnnr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pekin, in the county of Tazewell and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Agricultural Boilers; and I do hereby declare the following to be-a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements on that class of agricultural boilers for which Letters Patent of the United States were granted to Henry Voth, George P. Sackenreuther, and myself.

The invention consists in various improvements in the construction and arrangement of the fire-pot and draft-flue substantially as hereinafter fully described. 7

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a vertical transverse section of my improved agricultural boiler. Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof, the steaming-vessel being removed; Fig. 3, a section on line x 519 ofFig. l.

The boiler, so far as the shell and fire-pot are concerned, is constructed, substantially, like that described and shown in the patent hereinabove referred to.

A is the fire-pot, preferably tapering in form; ct and a, the annular flanges for securing the same within the outer shell, B, which is composed of a series of upright staves, secured together by bands or hoops b, and provided in their inner faces with grooves for the reception of the flanges a and a of the fire-pot. The upper end of the latter is here also extended by preference above the upper flange, a, as shown at A, for the reception of the draft flue or pipe 0, and D is the grate, which is or may be arranged as a shaking and dumping grate.

Ihave found by experience that in the boiler constructed as described in said Letters Patent, and as above briefly set fort-h, there is a very large waste in fuel, owing to the direct draft without check, except by means of a damper, and owing to the absence of proper means for supcrintcuding the fire. I have also found (No model.)

that the products of combustion and heat pass directly from the zone of combustion in the axial plane of the fire-pot to the draft-pipe, giving off but little of their heat on their passage through the fire-pot.

- The object of this invention is to obviate these disadvantages, and consequently effect a very material saving infuel. To this end, I provide the grate D with an axial cone, d, projecting upwardly into the firepot, said cone being hollow and provided with draftopenings (holes or slits) (1, near its base. The object of this axial cone d is to keep the fuel around the inner periphery of the fire-pot, and thus form a hollow cone of incandescent material, the heat of which will be thrown against the walls of the fire-pot, instead of ascending axially through the same.

To promote the divergence of the heat and products of combination, and force them to ascend in a hollow column along the walls of the fire-pot, the latter has in its upper portion a short pipe, E, of less diameter than the fire-pot at that point, to form an annular passage, 6, between the outside of said short pipe and the inner surface of the firepot. The

pipe is normally closed by a valve or damper,

F, thus bringing the heat andproducts of combustion in contact with the walls of the fire-pot.

A further improvement in the boiler consists in means whereby the attendant is enabled to constantly supervise the fire and in means for more conveniently introducing the fuel.

In the boiler described and shown in Letters Patent hereinbefore cited the draft-flue is provided with a charging-door, the fuel being introduced from the side. This being the only aperture above the grate of the firepot by which the attendant has access tothe interior thereof, and the location of said aperture being such that no facility is provided for inspecting the condition of the fuel on the grate, said attendant has to operate to some extent by guess-work in keeping the fire in proper condition; hence an uncertainty as to when fuel was needed, and a consequent uncertainty in keeping up steam,resulting in waste of fuel. The present invention is designed to obviate these difficulties by the following means: Upon or within the extension A of the boiler is I C O seated or formed a cap, 0, the interior chamber,c,of which communicates with the interior of the fire-pot, and by a lateral passage, 0, with the draft pipe C, said cap being provided with a short pipe, 0, for the reception of said draft-pipe. The cap 0 is closed at top by a lid, 0 and said lid is connected by a rod, link, or chain, 7, with the damper F, the arrangement being such that when thelid C is opened the chainf will draw upon the damper Fand open the axial passage of the fire-pot. By means of this construction the fuel can not only be introduced into the fire-pot in a more convenient manner, but the attendant, by simply throwing open the door 0-, is enabled to ascertain the condition of the fire within the firepot and regulate the feeding of the fuel. He is also enabled to distribute the fuel by means of a poker around the central cone of the grate.

The advantages derived from the described construction are so obvious that they need no further description or amplification.

G is the feed-water pipe, screwed into suitable couplings cast with the flange a of the fire-pot. Said pipe is made tapering, and at its upper or larger end is screw-threaded interiorly, for the reception of a tubular regulatingvalve, H, closed at its lower end, and provided at that point with peripheral discharge-ports h, and at its upper end with suitable eoupling devices for coupling thereto a flexible or other feed-pipe, I. It is obvious that when the valve H is screwed down into the feed-pipe G- to bring the ports [L of the former below the screw-threaded portion 9 of said pipe G, the said ports will be uncovered and the water arising from pipe I can pass into the boiler, and when said valve is screwed back again until its ports lie within the screwthread portion of pipe G the supply of water will be cut off.

In practice,to obtain a better llow of water from the valve into the boiler, I form the ports in the shape of an inverted V or anacute angled triangle having its base along the closed lower end of the valve. This construction of the ports it affords a means for conveniently regulating the flow of water to the boiler by screwing the valve more or less down or up, as the case may be.

K is the steam-pipe which enters the boiler through flange a, and to prevent siphoningthat is to say, to prevent the water from passing out by the stean1-pipesaid pipe may have its end within the boiler bent with the opening close to inner surface of said flange,or a shield or guard, k, may be secured over and in proximity to the orifice of pipe K within the boiler.

L L are the try-cocks, for obvious purposes.

As hereinabove stated, the tire-pot A in its general form is made tapering from the grate to its upper end. By the application of an axial cone, (1, to the grate D the fuel-space, when the boiler is made of a uniform taper,is, however, materially eontracted,and it may be found insufficient for the capacity of the boiler. To avoid this, I increase the diameter of the lower portion of the'fire-pot, whereby a combustionchamber, Aiof substantially the same capacity, is provided as that in a fire-pot of uniform taper without an axial cone, and above the offset a of said tire pot I locate the short pipe E with its damper F. By means of this construction the boiler-space around the fire-pot is contracted, I obtain a greater heatingsurface at that point where the greatest amount of heat is radiated, and consequently I am enabled to make steam in a much shorter time, and with the same quantity, or even a less quantity, of fuel than is the case with a fire-pot of uniform taper.

M is an annular foot casting, into which is set the end I) of the outer shell, B, of the boiler, that projects below the flange a of the fire-pot A, as shown. The base or foot ring M has a suitable slot, m, through which projects the shaking-lever N of the grate D. By means of this foot-ring an enlarged chamber is formed below the grate, serving as an ashpit and draft-chamber, said foot-piece having a suitable door, m, for the removal of the ashes.

As shown, the foot-ring or base is cast hollow and made to taper from its lower to its upper end, in which is formed a groovennflfor the reception of the staves. At its wider end the foot-ring has projecting flanges m that form a suitable solid bearing for the whole structure.

0 is a vessel or tank arranged on a suitable bracket or platform supported by braces 0,secured to the boiler-staves. It has a cover, 0, adapted to be bolted to a suitable seat-ring, O, that is secured in the head of the tank,and constitutes the charging aperture, through which the food to be treated is introduced.

0 is a seat-ring similar to the ring 0, secured in the bottom of the tank, and is provided with a cover, 0", adapted to be bolted thereto, and constitutes the discharge for the tank. This tank I design principally for use for softening corn for cattle, either by steaming or partial boiling, and in practice I employ a tank that will hold about three bushels of corn. When larger quantities'of corn are to be steamed, I preferably support the tank from a suitable frame erected on the floor or ground by the side of the boiler. It is connected with the steam-pipe K, which also has a branch pipe, K, whereby it may be connected with another vessel for steaming or cooking food. The branch pipe K is provided with a stop-cock, so that steam may be admitted to the vessel or tank 0, or cut off therefrom and admitted to another vessel,or to both the tank and such other vessel as desired. P is an overflow-pipe, through which an excess of water in the tank 0 may flow back into the boiler. Vhether the tank 0 is supported from the boiler or from the ground, it should be sufficiently elevated to bring the mouth 1) of the overflow-pipe P above the level of the water in the boiler, and said mouth 19 should be in proximity to the inner face of the head of the tank to keep the same nearly full of water when the tank is used for softeningcorn by soaking in hot water or by partial boiling.

Having now described my invention, what I claim is 1. A vertical steam-boiler of uniform taper from base to top,having an axial tapering passage connected at its upper end with a draft flue,and a short cylinder of less diameter than, and arranged within, said passage at a point intermediate of the extremities thereof, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. A vertical steam-boiler of uniform taper from base .to top,having an axial tapering passage connected at its upper end with a draftflue, a short cylinder, E, of less diameter than, and arranged within, said passage at a point intermediate ofits extremities, and a damper or valve for said short cylinder, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. A vertical steam-boiler of uniform taper from base to top,having an axial tapering passage connected at its upper end with a draftflue and enlarged at its lower end, and having an offset, a a short cylinder, E, of less diameter than, and arranged within,said passage above the offset, and a damper or valve for said short cylinder, in combination with a cone arranged axially at the base of the enlarged portion of the tapering axial passage for contracting said enlarged portion,substantially as and for thepurpose specified.

of the enlarged portion of the passage, in combination with a short cylinder of less diameter than, and arranged within, the axial passage above the offset a and a valve or damp er connected with and adapted to be operated from the charging-door of the cap of said passage, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

5. A vertical boiler having an annular baseflange, in combination with an annular footring, M, provided with a slot, m, door m, groove m, and foot-flanges m substantially as and for the purpose specified.

6. The combination, substantially as de scribed, with the flange a of the boiler and the tapering pipe 0, open at both ends and screwthreaded at g, of the tubular valve-plug H, said parts being constructed for operation as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHRISTOPHER HEFFT.

Witnesses:

A. E. SUTTON, H. E. Hans. 

